NOTORIOUS
Rating: Not Rated, but I’d put it somewhere inbetween PG and PG-13
Studio: MGM
MSRP: $24.99 but Amazon has it for $19.99.
Running Time: 102 minutes
What’s Going On?
At the end of World War II, U.S. military intelligence drafts Alicia Huberman to infiltrate a group of German spies who are in Rio. She is teamed with Devlin, a dashing but stoic agent with whom she falls deeply in love. In order to have better access to information she agrees to marry the ringleader of the Germans which starts an intricate downward spiral of deceit and betrayal, leaving her trapped in the home of an enemy and which could cost Devlin and Huberman their happiness and their lives.
Who’s In It:
Ingird Bergman and Cary Grant star.
If You Like…:
Any of Hitchcock’s other films, or subtle spy thrillers like the recent TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY in which the movie isn’t so much about the spying as it is the spies themselves, you’ll find something in this film, too.
Special Features:
There are two commentaries with film professors. Rick Jewell’s is the better of the two; it offers a brief history of RKO Studios, which released the film initially, and of legendary producer David O. Selznick as well as a discussion of the film, while Drew Casper’s feels more like your grandpa reminiscing about an old movie and is far less engaging.
You can take a look at the restoration comparison, an isolated music and effects track, The Ultimate Romance: The Making of NOTORIOUS uses the romance as the focal pointing in examining the film while The Ultimate Spymaster looks at the impact of the film on the spy genre as a whole.
There are two audio interviews with Hitchcock as well as an hour long Radio Play version of the story, which also stars Ingrid Bergman, there’s a very brief but sweet The American Film Institute Award: The Key to Hitchcock, in which Ingrid Bergman presents Hitchcock with the film’s iconic key to Hitchcock during his AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony.
Lots of good stuff overall.
The Technical Gist
While the film has been restored, it’s not as pristine as other films which have been restored from their original negatives. That being said, in spite of the occasional scratch or warping of the image, the film is in very good shape otherwise.
The incredible crane shot that this film is best known for looks just as good as you’d expect it to. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about an hour into the film and I’ll let you experience it yourself.
The Verdict
This is one of Hitchcock’s best in his vast career of nearly all classics. It’s a great take on spy genre and features some great performances. The restoration on the film makes it worth the UPGRADE or BUY, but it’s a MUST QUEUE if you haven’t seen it already.
